A GEORGIA PEACH

Barnsley Resort

Written by Bridget Williams

It is easy to be enamored with old buildings. Their time-worn walls are stalwart keepers of secrets; a repository for thousands of stories lost in time. An astute observer may be able to elicit a few clues that whisper of the past and then conjecture the details. If ever walls could talk, those that remain in the ruins of Woodlands–a once-stately manor built in the late 1840s by Godfrey Barnsley for his wife Julia a few miles from the rural town of Adairsville in northwest Georgia–would spin an epic tale. Hauntingly handsome in its current state of halted decay, and surrounded by gloriously maintained gardens as the centerpiece of 3,000-acre Barnsley Resort, the Italianate manor has borne witness to fortune and famine, love and loss, pain and perseverance, and even the murder of a Barnsley heir at the hand of his brother.

While Barnsley Manor may be the resort’s raison d'être, Clent Coker is arguably the estate’s greatest champion. A history buff and life-long admirer of the property, his tenacity and unwavering commitment to saving the home, along with its antebellum gardens and the stories of those who lived and died there, most certainly kept it from becoming a footnote in the annals of history. “If I had a nickel for every hour I’ve put into Barnsley, I could travel the world,” Coker remarked during a candlelit dinner in the ruins as part of my visit. Coker had a hand in convincing Prince Hubertus Fugger of Bavaria to acquire the property in the late 1980s and worked closely with him to commence an ambitious plan to stabilize the ruins and revive and expand the gardens, which are now one of the few surviving antebellum gardens in the South.

The saltwater pool overlooks the emerald fairways of the golf course

A little more than a decade later, Fugger opened Barnsley Resort, with guest accommodations taking the form of charming cottages that collectively comprise an English-inspired village influenced by the work of Andrew Jackson Downing (1815- 1852). Downing, considered to be the founder of American landscape architecture, was also a prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival style in the United States. To this, Fugger added a Jim Fazio-designed 18-hole golf course, a spa, regionally inspired fine dining at The Woodlands Grill and Rice House, and a host of outdoor activities, including horseback riding, sporting clays, and hiking.

Wilderness Arbor guest cottage

The resort was sold to a private family from north Georgia in 2004, and the new owners have continued in Fugger’s vein of restoration and expansion by constructing four large multi-bedroom Estate Cottages and adding fly-fishing and paintball to the activities roster, among others. They also acquired 1,800- acres less than five miles from the resort to create sister property SpringBank Plantation, which offers upland game hunting and one of the most extensive shooting facilities in the Southeast, with special programming geared specifically for women and teens through the Caesar Guerini Wings & Clays School. The 55-room Inn at Barnsley Resort and Georgian Hall, a special events venue, are both scheduled to open in early 2018

The resort-meets-village concept makes for an idyllic stay, with 90 individually decorated guest rooms and suites spread out over 36 cottages. Each building is linked by manicured pathways and common greenspaces with fire pits that encourage visitors to sit a spell Southern style both day and night. My 1,056-square-foot Arbor Cottage featured a spacious bedroom, bathroom with a claw-foot tub and separate shower, and a living room with fireplace. After I returned to my room each afternoon following a full day of activities, I was treated to an array of complimentary gourmet snacks and beverages to enjoy from my covered porch.

Top: The 16th hole of the Tom Fazio-designed golf course

Woodlands is not the only historically significant building on the property. Rice House, picturesquely positioned at the terminus of the village’s “main road,” is a 19th-century farmhouse relocated from nearby Rome, Georgia. Though its façade bears the scars of bullets fired during a Civil War skirmish, today the home plays host to more peaceful gatherings, namely fine Southern suppers that incorporate the bounty of surrounding farms, including herbs picked on-site, local farm-grazed cattle and Kurobuta pork. “Rice House is all about simplicity, how ‘true’ food is supposed to be,” said Food and Beverage Director Aaron Stiles. He added that the resort is “upscale, but never pretentious”.

Rice House exterior

Open Friday through Sunday, weather permitting, the Beer Garden is a prime example of a high-quality experience offered in a relaxed environment. Illuminated by string lights suspended overhead between towering trees, guests congregate at picnic tables around a central pavilion to enjoy menu items from Atlanta’s Spotter Trotter Charcuterie and more than 30 craft beer options.

Our most memorable meal was staged in the ruins, which are used as a magical backdrop for weddings and private events. Sinuous shadows cast by a plethora of candles and the still-functioning fireplaces animated the ancient walls. Like a broken heart torn wide open, the roof of the manor house was ripped off by a tornado in 1906. That traumatic event seems less consequential now in the semi al fresco setting, where the clinking of glasses and the sounds of laughter and happy chatter are free to dissipate into the starry night sky.

Private dinner in the ruins of Woodlands

Although just 60 miles north of Atlanta, the resort’s rustic setting, combined with a plethora of activities, means that you can amply fill an itinerary for several days without ever leaving property. During a three-night girl’s trip to take advantage of the resort’s “Annie Get Your Fun” package, my travel buddies and I giggled and gallivanted all over the resort, many of us trying activities for the first time.

Left: A resident of the Barnsley Barnyard / Right: Fire pits located throughout the property are ideal gathering places for making s'mores.

Shooting instructor Skip Smith, one of just 70 Level III instructors certified by the National Sporting Clays Association, had each of us channeling our inner Annie Oakley; by the end of the half-day session, we were all feeling proud of our marksmanship (and coveting our beautiful women’s Syren shotguns on loan from the resort’s SpringBank Sporting Club). Following a two-hour trail ride in the woods surrounding the resort and a visit with the miniature horses, donkeys, and plucky goats in the Barnsley Barnyard, we headed over to the 10-acre lake on the property for a fly-casting lesson with pros from the Cohutta Fishing Company.

We capped off the weekend with a golf lesson and a round on the Par-72, 7,350-yard course. Spread out over 378 acres, it was designed by Fazio to wind around the resort’s lake, forests, and gardens. Make your golfing friends jealous by snapping a photo or two of the dramatic drop and surrounding mountain peaks at the signature 16th hole.

Guest accommodations take the form of charming cottages that collectively comprise an Englishinspired village.

We made sure to squeeze in plenty of pampering too, by indulging in a “Relax and Refresh” body treatment at the spa that incorporates loofa gourds harvested on property and a proprietary lavender and mint mask; relaxing around the salt water pool with a glass of sweet tea; admiring the historic gardens; and, enjoying a bourbon tasting in the Woodlands Grill. The short stay left me refreshed, recharged and equipped with a few new skills to apply to my leisure pursuits back at home.

For more information on Barnsley Resort, visit barnsleyresort.com or call the resort at 770-773-7480.